Gray Storm
by D0rkKnight
Summary: The invasion of Vale was a failure. Beacon and her secrets held, and the White Fang along with their Grimm forces were repelled. A new school year begins as some students trickle back in, and others leave with the threat of another invasion. Two students arrive from far flung lands - one with a mind of fog and rain, another with a heart of granite rock.


**Chapter 1:**

He stared out the window, looking at not much in particular. A storm blew outside, howling wind translating to a muffled buzz inside the ferry boat. The interiors were cramped and his knees ached after being packed in for hours. He rested his head on his hand, and continued to stare out the window.

A small girl chirped happily to her father next to him. She asked her father, "papa, do you know when we'll be there?" The father gently replied that he didn't, taking his eyes off his book for a moment.

The girl turned towards the stranger staring out the window to her left, and asked innocently, "sir, do you know when we'll be there?"

He continued staring out the window, as if the girl had never said a thing and the black mist of the rain was all that existed. The girl leaned forwards to see what he was looking at. "Are you asleep?" she asked, curious as to what this strange person was looking at.

She moved to nudge him lightly, but her father placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let the man rest," he said. He returned to his book and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

They had sailed up the estuary and now neared the Central lake, the one that lied between Beacon and the urban districts of Vale. The dockside now appeared before the stranger, slowly fading into view from the distance. The ferry pulled a sluggish turn left and slowed down, signifying them nearing their destination. The stranger saw a set of concrete foundations fade in from the right side of the window, followed by a metal platform and a few people waiting.

The ferry slowed to a complete stop and a voice flickered on the intercoms. "This is your captain speaking, we have officially reached Vale interior harbor 07. Thank you for sailing with us, and we wish you a nice day."

The little girl whispered "thanks" to the magical voice from the ceiling and kicked her legs happily. Her father stood up and patted his daughter on her shoulder. The girl glanced to the left at the stranger and punched his arm lightly.

The punch shook the stranger out of his dream, and he turned around to look at the girl. A childish grin shown on her face. "... Thanks," he lightly muttered.

"Let's go, Sasha," the girl's father spoke to her. She stepped out after him, waved goodbye at the strange man, and walked away down the aisle.

The stranger rubbed his arm. "You wouldn't be so nice if you knew me," he lightly muttered to himself.

He exited the ferry through a metal bridge, one that rattled and clanged before the wind. The rain felt more powerful outside, almost a monsoon. Thousands of gallons emptied from the skies and the whole world shook from the force of the storm. Water hit the arched glass roof and ran down the sides, forming a waterfall at the edges. The stranger carefully walked down the slick steel of the walkway. He stepped off the bridge and paced across the platform, towards a series of booths.

An armed guard stopped him in his tracks. The guard wore repurposed Atlesian plate armor, painted forest green and charcoal black of the Vale Police Department. Two lumber axes over a shield formed a sigil printed on his chest. The stranger eyed a taser at his hip and an assault rifle strung on his back. He looked up at the guard's face, and saw a smooth helmet covering it, opaque and reflective.

 _Security must have been tightened after the attempted Grimm invasion last year_ , the stranger thought. The guard patted him down and, after deeming him harmless, let him pass through. He saw other guards as he continued. They really were taking no chances.

He stepped in front of one of the booths. A voice buzzed through a speaker. "Please provide your papers," it asked. The stranger fished a thin book from his pocket and slid it over. The woman on the other side took it, and scanned the information. "Ambert, is it?"

"Yeah, that's me," the stranger replied. He took a look around to see if anybody heard through the rain. The inspector punched some information into a computer. She turned again. "You may pass," she said, a bitter streak now in her voice. "Your kind aren't welcome here."

Ambert ignored her remark and continued on. He pulled his hood over his head and stepped out into the rain, breathing it in. He walked towards the edge of the docks and peered out over the water, city behind him, lake before him.

The city of Vale behind him rushed and buzzed even in the storm, people rushing back and forth under glass walkways and cars lined up deep in the rain. Towering apartments of red brick and pale concrete lined up against the waterfront, forming a wall running along the lake, hugging it all the way around its circumference. The pedestrians daring the rain wore thick raincoats, brushing past each other, each in their own bubble of a world. Ambert looked to his left and right. The docks were empty, nobody challenging the relentless torrent of rain. He sighed and relaxed, a calmness taking over him.

He turned back around, putting his arms on the railing and leaning out, over the edge of the water. The surface of the lake shimmered as a million raindrops hit it. The deafening rain tuned out the sound of the city, covering everything with a static blanket.

It was just him, the lake, and the rain. A surreal peace washed over him, a ghost floating in this silent and static world. His gaze followed the lake, extending outwards before climbing up the cliff face, the faint glow of Beacon topping it. It shone strong with green, but also had other colors. Red, gold, blue, violet all danced, mixing blurs behind the heavy coat of rain between him and the Beacon of light

Most powerful of all were three bands of green light pointing towards an orb in the sky, shining a thousand times brighter than any other light in Vale, bright as the shattered moon.

* * *

Eire stared at the vending machine with pure, unrestrained hatred.

 _Oh, you hunk of worthless metal, you think you're just going to eat my money like that?!_ She shook an angry fist at her rightful can of soda stuck on the granola bar that was leaning forwards a little too much.

She gritted her teeth and took a step back, placing her weight on one foot. She brought the other forwards, smashing it into the vending machine. In hindsight, she probably should have thought things through better, considering that she was made of flesh and the vending machine, steel.

A single can of soda rolled past her, passing her attention as she clutched her foot in pain. She silently damned the vending machine to eternal pain and torture before picking up the can and hobbling away with a slight limp.

She tore the lid of the can off, a slight hiss sounding. Then, she took a quiet sip, and stared out the airship, towards the sky. There were a few pretty neat pillars of clouds sticking upwards. Eire observed the scene and took another sip, savoring the fizz.

She moved and took a seat. A few other people stood around the airship, but it was far from its maximum capacity. She, like the others, had signed up for Beacon extraordinarily early, even if the start of the semester was delayed by last year's invasion.

Her thoughts slowly drifted away as she looked at the clouds. She thought of what it would be like at Beacon, and if it would be any different from Atlas. She had taken the first opportunity to escape her parents, but now she questioned if coming to Vale really was the right decision.

She heard somebody sit down next to her. She sighed, really not in the mood for any human interaction.

"So, how are you?" the boy asked.

She shot him her best "get out of my sight" look before replying "fine," charging the single word with all the exhaustion and frustration she could muster. She complemented the complete tone of disinterest and derision with the construction of a mental wall between her and the boy.

He raised his eyebrow. "So. . . What year are you?" he asked, treading carefully.

"First," she responded, brusquely.

"You look familiar... "

"Look, I don't know who you are, or why you're sitting next to me," she snapped around and threatened, scowling.

"Woah, woah, calm down," he rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're just going to walk off like that!?"

Eire had stood up and paced away from the boy, towards the long glass window overlooking the clouds. He didn't bother standing up, instead staying seated and crossing his arms in annoyance.

Eire felt frustration mounting up inside her. He was too observant for his own good. She just hoped that he wouldn't go around spreading news that Arblaster's precious daughter was being shipped to Beacon. Although she shouldn't have been too surprised anyways. The news of the Schnee heiress applying for Beacon did still manage to make the headline, even if Jacques paid a hefty fee to… silence most of the major news outlets.

A voice buzzed over the speakers. "And it seems like we'll be arriving at Beacon Academy within half an hour. Enjoy your view on the right before we break through the clouds," he chuckled.

Eire rolled her eyes and figured that she may as well, and looked towards the right. A few pillars of masonry poked above the clouds, ending in slim little spires.

It was. . . rather underwhelming, surrounded by the mountains of clouds. It looked a bit like a tiny brick hut, she decided upon closer inspection. She frowned. Was this honestly the school where she would spend the next four years?

The speakers came on again. "Huh, seems like the clouds are higher today. Guess you'll be in for a treat after we descend," he said. "It's usually nicer," he appended.

The airship rumbled, and slowed. It tipped downwards and gently started descending, slowly gliding downwards. The sea of mist broke apart, breaking the clouds into long tendrils that pulled and clung at the ship. The aircraft rattled for a moment, pushing through the storm clouds, but broke through and was greeted by a vibrant panorama.

It was a bit more beautiful underneath. A thousand neon lights danced before her eyes as the ground neared her. The slick rain covered tarmac of the helipad shone a thousand rainbow colors, a wonderful light show. It was different from the militaristic compound of Atlas or serene monasteries of Mistral. A twine of childish glee and excitement sprung through the cracks of her heart as she watched it.

She caught her thoughts before they got out of hand. She was too old to be excited at a silly light show. A bored expression washed over her face, granite of the Arblaster solidifying again.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here we go again. Another fic, one that I hopefully will complete!**


End file.
